2012 Fiesta Bowl Matchup
2012 Fiesta Bowl Matchup
With the selection of No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Oklahoma State two of
the most potent offenses in college football to play in this year’s
edition of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the expectation is that this will
be one of the best bowl games of the season.
This game will mark the first-ever meetings between these teams.
A look at the most recent Fiesta Bowl odds shows the Cowboys listed
as 3.5-point favorites, while the over/under sits at 74 points.
Stanford
Stanford tied for the best record in the Pac-12 at 8-1, but a loss to
co-champion Oregon left the Cardinal on the outside looking in for the
conference’s first-ever title game. They did end their season on a high
note, however, beating Notre Dame 28-14. The Cardinal also carry a 5-0
road record into the Fiesta Bowl.
The Cardinal are the 5th-best scoring offense in the country (44 ppg)
while recording 481 yards per game (273 passing, 208 rushing). Andrew
Luck completes 70 percent of his passes for 3,170 yards and 35
touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Griff Whalen leads the receiving corps with 49 catches (14 more than
anyone else) for 664 yards and four TDs, while Stepfan Taylor anchors
the running game with 1,153 yards and eight TDs on 5.6 yards per carry.
Defensively, Stanford ranks 23rd nationally in points allowed (20
ppg), giving up 331 yards per game (241 passing, 90 rushing) while
compiling 38 sacks and forced 21 turnovers two of which were returned
for TDs (Michael Thomas, interception; Max Bergen, fumble).
Jarek Lancaster leads the unit with 63 tackles, while Michael Thomas
has 61 tackles and a team-best three interceptions. Chase Thomas pitches
in with 8.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.
Oklahoma Stat e
Oklahoma State started 10-0 this season, and looked well on their way
to a possible BCS Championship game appearance before suffering a
shocking double-overtime loss at Iowa State. The Cowboys bounced back
well, however, blowing out instate rival Oklahoma, 44-10. Oklahoma State
went 5-1 on the road this season, including wins at Texas and at Texas
A&M.
OSU ranks second in the country in points scored (49 ppg) and
recording 557 yards per game (386 passing, 171 rushing). Brandon Weeden
completes 73 percent of his passes for 4,328 yards and 34 TDs with 12
interceptions. The offensive line has allowed 11 sacks.
All-American Justin Blackmon leads the receiving corps with 113
receptions for 1,336 yards and five TDs, while Joseph Randle anchors the
running game with 1,123 yards and 23 scores on 6.0 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Cowboys rank 61st nationally in points allowed (26
ppg) and give up 446 yards per game (266 passing, 180 rushing) while
recording 28 sacks and forcing 42 turnovers three of which were returned
for TDs (Richetti Jones and Josh Stewart, fumbles; Shaun Lewis,
interception).
Daytawion Lowe leads the team wit 88 tackles and three forced fumbles
while Jamie Blatnick has seven sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Brodrick Brown has five picks to go with two fumble recoveries and Jones
has three forced fumbles and three recoveries.
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